My BAJD Contribution

I know this is a day late, but I had to contribute and I couldn't get myself to write this post yesterday. Anyway, I liked the style Kinzi took when she wrote her post, so I will try and use it as well. I always have to add the humorous twist to the thing, so here it is.

• Where else is there a place with a name mistaken for a basketball player?
• Where else would you find the traditional meal made from dried yoghurt, rice and meat?
• Where else would you find the rarest type of humans, the cheating, lying, thieving, ugly, single-celled-brained taxi drivers?
• Where else could you get anything you wanted if you walked into a shop and ranted like a man possessed?
• Where else would a country's national television station get the lowest audience ever?
• Where else would you find such bad customer service and quality and such rude and incompetent customer service staff?
• Where else would having a 'wasta' or not could lead to your life or death?
• Where else would you find such a wide range of socially acceptable options once you've finished school - '6ib aw handaseh'?
• Where else would you wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of a weddings gunfire?
• Where else would you use your car horn more?
• Where else would there be a national holiday because it was supposed to snow?

Welcome to Jordan! And if anyone has another one, feel free to add it in the comments section.

A Visit From Kinzi

I guess my mother had been trying to plan this almost a year ago, but neither of us could get to it because either one was too busy. To be honest, last year was a very busy and hectic year, and although this year is destined to be even worse and yet more stressful, me and my great mother decided we would use the last day of the mid year holiday to invite Kinzi to our house, in return for our visit last year.

To sum it up, the visit was a great opportunity to meet another blogger and to practice my English. I must say I have a rather strange British accent that I can seem to understand but will only work well in England. It was funny that we didn't talk much about blogging, and the subjects went from school exams to scouts events. Nevertheless, I enjoyed meeting Kinzi and her family alot.

And of course, no visit would be complete without me and Spikekid trying our hardest to socialise, Kinzi's eldest son that is just a year younger than me. You must understand that at the teenage age it is much easier to talk through an Xbox 360 controller than through words. Even though, it was much fun fighting terror on Rainbow Six Vegas with another teenager. Grunt, grunt.

Never Quit Your Blog

I used to think the same question in the early stages of blogging. The question was why I should continue my blog and it usually ponders alot of early bloggers for many reasons that they face.

In fact, these reasons aren’t true, most of the time, and they just quit even though they could have carried on blogging and living the experience of being a blogger.
I’m going to try and answer these reasons to quit blogging, even though I may not have that much experience, as I’m only two years into blogging.

A reason that always ponders most bloggers is that they believe no one reads their blog because no one comments. In fact, not everyone that reads your blog will comment. A really easy solution to knowing who reads your blog and what they read is a counter, like Google Analytics. For example, not that many people comment on my blog, even though I have over 1000 unique visitors every month.

Something that sometimes even gets me as well is that you haven’t posted anything for a century. This can, at rare occasions, affect your visitors, but in reality not posting in a while is not an excuse to never post again. In fact, most people visit blogs by RSS feeds or aggregators, so a blogs absence is rarely felt.

Writers block usually hits bloggers every now and then, but does it mean that you can’t blog if you’ve run out of ideas? Not at all. Even if you just had the most boring day, that doesn’t mean you can’t blog about something. Your favourite picks from Youtube, for example, is something you can blog about easily.

One last thing I’d like to mention is how some bloggers never manage to get a good quality post. It sometimes baffles newer bloggers how easy it is to make a good post. The main rule of thumb is to write about something people like, don’t copy from the internet, add pictures and photos, separate text into readable paragraphs and that’s it.

And to finish off my post, if you ever want to quit, why not try an alternative and take a break. Its usually just the frustration from blogging that sets you off, and before you do something crazy like write a blog suicide note to all your innocent readers, just take a while off from blogging.

You’ll find yourself coming back to it, soon enough, with fresh new ideas and a spirit ready for writing more posts.

Not Another Header

Usually these days, when I smell my mothers cooking, I know that shes making something good. It all began when she began making creative things, as in trying new recipes and non-traditional foods, so the cooking now is much better than ever before - thank you, mum.

So, as being my creative and inspirational self that I am - brag, brag - I was searching the internet when I stumbled upon a rather simple, powerful and magnificent tool called Wordle. To sum up what this nifty tool does, I ask a question: have you ever wondered how to make a word collage?

Wordle is your answer. Either enter a whole load of text, your blog address, or a del.icio.us name, and with a bit of magic and voodoo, the program begins making your jumble of words. By default, it won't look as you want it, so you'll need to tweak with the settings and randomise a bit to get the result you want.

If you prefer the one I just used in the header, then choose half and half for the layout, heat for the colour, and telephoto for the font. In the end you'll have to print screen it all, since the programmers couldn't be bothered to make a function to export it as an image.

In the end I couldnt think of anything creative enough to place the title of my blog, so I just made a few adjustments and made it the header of my blog for now. Until then, I would have thought up of something creative enough.

One More Year

Its my birthday today, so I'm officially fifteen today. Its been two years blogging and fifteen years stuck on planet earth.

And as its usual for October that it rains. For some reason it rains exactly when the last period finishes and rains on me and my backpack all the wait until my dad comes to pick me up.

So I guess the following days will be very enjoyable. Happy birthday to me, and the perfect song to be singing in the background:

" Kiber ja7shna wa saar i7maar... oink oink... "

'Kinzi' is a Brand

I saw this on some mysterious carpet while we were shopping in Safeway. I never knew it was a brand.

I also saw a cafe in Nu3man mall called Kinzi but I never could get the chance to take a picture since I was in the car.

The real Kinzi's blog is here.

Days With My Father

This type of journal, rather interesting with pictures and text to go with, is rather touching.

It talks about a son with a father, who suffers from a disease similar to Alzheimers. He had no short term memory, and the son had only discovered this after his mother died suddenly.

When he and his father returned from the funeral, his father was puzzled where his wife was. After the son explained to him she had died, he soon discovered he had no short term memory.

Because he would be traumatized again and again when he would find out his wife was dead, the son changed the story so she was in Paris caring her sick brother.

The journal covers alot of his daily life, so see it if you can. The navigation is rather puzzling at first, but all you need to do to move your mouse below the picture and click to move forward.

Days With My Father

Flickr Mosaic Tag

I just loved the creativity of this tag when I first saw it on Qabbani's blog, that I had to do it.

The description of the tag, briefly - I tag whoever wants to be tagged.

Type your answers to each of the questions below into Flickr
2- Using only the first page, pick an image.
3- Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker
4- Save a copy to your PC and then post it in your blog
The questions are:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your Flickr name.

Of Ubuntu And Xbox's

I have an update on both my last two posts (1, 2), and surprisingly, they happened both today.

First off, Ubuntu.



I left off to Friday prayer while leaving the download running, which was at 72%. I came back to find it was canceled.

Who canceled it? No guessing.

Now I must resort to buying a CD of it here in Amman. Does anyone know a shop that sells a copy of Ubuntu?

And now, to 360s.



I made a deal with my parents this morning. One that was written on paper and signed by me, my dad and my mum.

I promised to do my chores around the house daily, help my brothers and sister, go to summer Quran club, and turn off the computer during end of semester exams, until the 5th of July.

At that day, I will in turn go and buy an XBox 360 from Swiefieh. My reward for waiting all those months.

I just hope I can keep up to those terms. Hopefully, I will.

Queen Rania On Youtube

Royalty and professional hit modernity and technology, broadening the perspective of the internet and its content in the Arab World.

Yes, Queen Rania herself now 'video blogs' on Youtube, mainly about women in the arab world.

And, as Bakkouz has already said, HM does not hope to change the world with a few videos, but she's taking the first step towards it.

Here is her first video on the subject, under the name Send Me Your Stereotypes.

Yet Another Blog

I felt sorry for my friend who had made a blog a week ago and was trying hard to write posts to get to the lucky number 12, which is when he'd be allowed to enter Qwaider Planet.

He has been begging me to advertise his blog on mine for some time, and now I am going to do so out of the pure goodness of my heart. (hehe)

Surprisingly, his name is also Khaled but he writes it Khalid, and he is the first in my class, and I am the second. All the rest of the class are masha6eeb. (hehe #2)

Now lets cut the nonsense, visit the guys blog and leave him a comment. Let him get his two seconds of fame. (hehe #3)

His blog is called 'The Blog Name Goes Here'. But it will never defeat the ultimate creativity of a name 'Not Another Blog'. (hehe #4)

Argh, just visit it. Eft. (no, not hehe #5)

karaim.blogspot.com

From London To Jordan

Around four years ago, when I was in grade five, I thought up the idea of going to live in Jordan.

You see, our family always went in the summer holidays to Jordan as a way of going on vacation as well as seeing our extended family. The only thing was that we liked it. The problem with that was the life in Jordan was not the same.

I had seen life in Jordan as relaxing and calm. This was because I was visiting it in the summer, when there was no school. No wonder I felt so great at the time.

So my family took the final decision to move to Jordan. Of course it wasn't fully based on my idea, but I was the one that took the first steps.

Everything was sorted out. We had chosen a school based on our uncles opinions, which we later found out to be quite bad, and my father and mother had chosen their jobs.

Of course, everyone who tries to settle into a new country will know its not an easy job.

Neither was school.

But it all settles down, and you finally get to like the place you're in.

I mean, for one thing, the sun that you take for granted that shines on Jordan almost 300 days a year. Sunshine is one factor that helps fight depression, and it does not shine a lot on other countries out of the middle east.

If I was to say all the great things about the country I'm in, I wouldn't finish.

So next time you're in a prayer, remember to thank god for the country you are in.

Happy BAJO day.

OK, I'll Take Part.

Blog About Jordan Day
12/3/2008

And there you go, I'm going to be part of Qwaider's idea of a blogging day, Blog About Jordan day.

For those of you that don't know about it already, the day is on the 12th of March, and on this day you must talk about your opinion on Jordan.

I have a few ideas on what I might write, and I'm sure it'll include my decision to admit that, somehow, Amman is better than London.

You'll see it all on March the 12th. Get thinking.

Not Another 100th Post

It is at this post that Not Another Blog reaches it's 100th post.

And, as my friend M. Kilany said, like a human's age is measured in years, a blog's age is measured in posts. So, Not Another Blog is officially 100 posts old.

I would like to take this chance to thank everyone who commented on my blog. In my opinion, commenting on a blog is like pushing a blogger forward in life and letting him succeed further and excel.

Those people include uncle Bilal, Kinzi, Qwaider, Hani, Moey, Kilany. Not to forget people such as my mum Mona, and my auntie Eman, thank you all.

Edit: And my auntie Wesam too!!!

Meeting Kinzi

Actually, it's supposed to be meeting Kinzi, Little Angel, Spikekid, Project Boy and History Buff.

Indeed, me and my mum went over to Kinzi's house yesterday. It turned out she lived quite close to us. Google Earth was quite useful when it came to finding the best way to her house! By following the directions she sent to us, we located where the house is & found out the best way for us to come from. Maybe someday technology will get better and we will all start finding peoples homes by Google Earth. Maybe not.

Anyway, Kinzi is a very nice woman and has a great house, which is much tidier than ours, I have to say. I played a bit (actually a few hours, hehe) of Xbox with SK and PB, and I realized how bad I am at playing on the Xbox. I guess I'm used to the PS2's controls. Ah well, I shall show SK my skills on the PS2 whenever he comes over. >:D

Meeting another blogger. How strange it seems that meeting somebody you had never known in reality, turns out to be a great person in the real world.

What have your experiences with other bloggers been like?

I Gave 91 Clicks To Hani?!

According to Google Analytics, my visitors have clicked on Hani's link 91 times! Where is my payment for this advertising?! :D

Not Another 'Blog About Bloggers' Post

Dun dun dun. Today is the day of the day of talking about the day you blog about bloggers that blog. Also known as "I am Blogging about my Favorite Blogger day", source. It would be '3eb' to let this day pass without joining everyone in their, erm, thing. So, I'm joining.

Now, naturally, the 'thing' is called Blog about your favorite Blogger, not bloggers. But, as everyone else has done, we break the rules so everyone can be happy and nobody is left out. And, I don't have one person in mind, I have quite alot, so that's another excuse to break the rules. Or, as a child would say, Kinzi and Nas have already broken them. Waah!

So, lets get on with this and have this finished. I'll say each person and what they're are nominated for. Anyway, behind door number one is...

-- 1. Bakkouz, Bakkouz - for his interesting posts.
I have always liked the content of Bakkouz's posts, he always puts posts that I enjoy reading, such as pictures from Google Earth or sound bombs.
Featured Post: The Devil Lives In Jordan!?

-- 2. Roba, And Far Away - for her creativity.
I have never seen anyone more creative in posts and photos than Roba. And I love her designs. Her posts are anywhere from talking about Jordan to a group of photos.
Featured Post: Another Urban Review

--3. Naseem, Black Iris - for his writing.
Nas is a great writer, he can write and write huge posts fit for magazines, and he is still quite frequent. I struggle to pick a suitable title.
Featured Post: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Eid

--4. Hani, HANI 101 - for his leap into the blogosphere.
I was surprised at how Hani began his blog with such huge power and fame. You'd expect visitors to a new blog come as a slope, Hani 101 was high at the beginning.
Featured Post: Falling off the Wagon

--5. Kinzi, My Treasure - for showing how blogging is for everyone.
Being a mother that blogs is a great achievement. I have begged my mother to blog so many times that I have given up. To find the time to write long, interesting posts is a goal achieved.
Featured Post: Squabbling Children

And to finish off, I would like to thank everyone else I left out.

Special thanks to my great uncle Bilal who brought me into the blogging world and always gave me tips in blogging. If only he blogged a bit more often. And I would like to thank the boy named Khaled Sharif, for writing the longest post yet in his blog.

You may now leave your comments. You're allowed to, you know.

Under the Weather

I left the bed after a three day battle with stomach virus. I am sorry for not feeding you with posts. I am sure you are all hungry, but things will change and food will come. Be optimistic!
side note: I haven't forgotten to nominate my favourite blogger and I will be writing about him/her tomorrow.

The Amman Minucipality Has A Blog

The blog is in Arabic, and is hosted by Jeeran. See it here.

I Declare Holy Jihad As Well

On spam that is. These comments keep coming from "advertisers" in wierd languages unrecognisable in Google Translate. This is the first time I deal with spam, I do not know what to do.

Ideas, anyone?